Irena's Vow (Polish: Przysięga Ireny) is a 2023 Canadian-Polish war drama film, directed by Louise Archambault. Written by Dan Gordon who also wrote the Broadway play Irena's Vow,[1] the film stars Sophie Nélisse as Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish nurse who helped to shelter and protect Jewish people during the Holocaust by hiding them in the cellar of the home where she was employed as a housekeeper by Nazi officer Eduard Rügemer (Dougray Scott).[2][3] The cast also includes Andrzej Seweryn, Eliza Rycembel, Maciej Nawrocki, Aleksandar Milicevic, Tomasz Tyndyk and Nela Maciejewska.[4]
| Irena's Vow | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Polish | Przysięga Ireny |
| Directed by | Louise Archambault |
| Written by | Dan Gordon |
| Based on | Irena's Vow by Dan Gordon |
| Produced by | Beata Pisula Tim Ringuette Nicholas Tabarrok Jeff Sackman Berry Meyerowitz |
| Starring | Sophie Nélisse Dougray Scott |
| Cinematography | Paul Sarossy |
| Edited by | Arthur Tarnowski |
| Music by | Alexandra Stréliski |
Production companies | Darius Films Entract Studios K&K Selekt |
| Distributed by | Elevation Pictures Quiver Distribution (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The film was shot in 2022 in Warsaw and Lublin, Poland.[5][6] It premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in September.[7][8] The film is scheduled for commercial release in 2024.
Cast edit
- Sophie Nélisse as Irena Gut Opdyke
- Dougray Scott as Rugmer
- Andrzej Seweryn as Schultz
- Maciej Nawrocki as Rokita
- Sharon Azrieli as Helen
- Aleksandar Milicevic as Lazar
- Eliza Rycembel as Ida
- Agata Turkot as Clara
- Filip Kosior as Thomas
- Krzysztof Szczepaniak as Moise
- Irena Melcer as Zosia
- Eryk Kulm as Abram Klinger
- Zuzanna Pulawska as Fanka
- Tomasz Tyndyk as Henry
Reception edit
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 28 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Sophie Nélisse brings powerful subtlety to the title role in Irena's Vow, accomplishing so much with her eyes, her presence, her ability to shift demeanor and tone quickly depending on the situation."[10]
Awards and nominations edit
2023 Winner: Audience Award,
Vancouver International Film Festival
2023 Winner: LIUNA People's Choice Award,
Windsor International Film Festival
2023 Nominee: WIFF Prize in Canadian Film,
Windsor International Film Festival
References edit
- ^ Grynienko, Katarzyna (April 29, 2022). "Louise Archambault's 'Irena's Vow,' Starring Sophie Nélisse, Dougray Scott, Shoots in Poland – C&E Europe News in Brief". Variety.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (May 9, 2022). "Sophie Nélisse, Dougray Scott to star in Quiver's wartime drama 'Irena's Vow', as WestEnd launches sales". Screen Daily.
- ^ Irena's Vow at IMDb
- ^ Full cast and crew of Irena's Vow at IMDb
- ^ "Louise Archambault de retour d'un tournage de film tout près de l'Ukraine" [Louise Archambault returning from a film shoot near Ukraine]. Radio-Canada (in French). June 9, 2022.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (September 13, 2023). "Toronto: 'Irena's Vow' Director Sees Ukraine Crisis Through Second World War Lens". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Irena's Vow". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Hazelton, John (August 10, 2023). "TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema". Screen Daily.
- ^ "Irena's Vow". Metacritic. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (April 15, 2024). "Irena's Vow". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
External links edit
- Irena's Vow at IMDb